It's January 2008 and the soaps are gearing up to rock! Don't be left out of the loop. Get your soap opera buzz right here!

January 30, 2008

Some insider General Hospital info! In about two weeks Michael shoots Kate! It's just a flesh wound, requiring minor surgery. Could be both Morgan and Carly see it happen. There is talk that Laura Wright (Carly) is doing a PSA about guns and kids, but no confirmation on that. Also we hear that this Daniel guy kidnaps Kristina (why I don't know), and Jerry is the one to save her and bring her back to Alexis. I also believe (not sure) that it is Nik who hits Sam, although Liz is eventually arrested for the crime. Stay tuned. Contributed by LH

For some number of weeks I have been following the reality beauty pageant show for mothers and daughters, "Crowned, The Mother of All Pageants." Tonight was the final showdown for the remaining contestants. Along with the three judges, the contestants, performed and conducted themselves just like a real beauty pageant. For the ceremonial aspect, Jack Wagner (Nick, Bold & the Beautiful) was the master of ceremonies. Wagner introduced and announced scores after each of the typical events; swimsuit, evening gown, and interview. What was untypical of a pageant, was a surprise de-sashing, which means to narrow the teams to three, from four, someone was surprisingly and suddenly without warning, cut from the competition. Jack Wagner was personable and a natural host for such an event. It made me wonder will B&B decide to have a similar competition? Stephanie and Felicia, Taylor and Phoebe, and of course the mother/ daughter duo that he has been married to, Brooke and Bridget. What fun that would be to see them all battle things out on a stage with questions and swimsuits rather than in the bedroom or boardroom, all MC’d by Jack/Nick. Contributed by DR

January 29, 2008

Interact with One Life to Live like never before. SOAPnet invites Fans to send in their secrets during the "OLTL Marathon: Secrets Exposed " on Sunday, February 17th. As everyone on "One Life To Live" prepares for the American Heart Association's Go Red Ball, major secrets will be revealed and Llanview will never be the same! From February 3-17, 2008, SOAPnet invites fans to be part of the festivities and send in their own secrets. During the 5-hour marathon on Sunday, February 17 (12-5pm ET/PT), SOAPnet will air the juiciest of the bunch and also reveal some hints about upcoming "One Life To Live" stories. It's as easy as one, two, three! 1) Text SECRET followed by your message to 94999. Include your name and state, too. 2) You'll receive a confirmation text when we receive your message. 3) Watch the "OLTL Marathon: Secrets Exposed " on Sunday, February 17 (12-5pm PT/ET). Stay Glued to your TV to read some hints about upcoming storylines and to see if your text makes it on-air. Congrats. May your secrets come out on SOAPnet. Contributed by LMS

January 28, 2008

Congratulations to Alicia Minshew (Kendall) who became engaged to long time, live-in beau, Richie Herschenfeld, just before Christmas. It was December 13, and after a romantic dinner that he prepared, as Minshew does not cook, he popped the question by engraving it on a charm on a bracelet from Tiffany's and hanging it with a big red bow on their Christmas tree. In regard to the charm bracelet and it's very special charm, Minshew told SOD: "'It said, ‘I love you,' on one side, and I thought, ‘Oh, that's sweet,' and then I turned it on to the other side, and it said, ‘Will you marry me, my sweet Lish.' I swear to God my whole entire body went numb. He said, ‘I've waited my whole life for you. Will you be my wife?' I combusted into tears.'" Although no wedding date has yet been set, the two plan on making it a 2008 nuptial. Contributed by LMS

ABC Daytime Salutes Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids 2008! The curtain rises for a fourth consecutive year as the spotlight shines center stage on stars from ABC’s “The View,” “All My Children,” “One Life to Live” and “General Hospital,” who will be singing and dancing on Broadway for one night only in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The show will be held Sunday, March 2 at Town Hall in New York City at 7:30 p.m. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available by visiting www.broadwaycares.org . “ABC Daytime Salutes Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS” is sponsored in part by ABC Daytime and The Walt Disney Company. Scheduled to appear from “The View” are Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Contributed by LMS

January 25, 2007

In this week's latest Soap Opera Digest there is some question as to Maurice Benard's (Sonny) future with General Hospital. The Emmy-winner who joined the soap in 1993 -- he took off in 1997 only to return in 1998 -- and is often lauded by his peers as a man whose talent significantly outshines his heartthrob status -- is pondering whether or not he will sign again with GH this summer when his current contract expires. Should Benard walk, it would leave a huge hole in the show's storytelling as the character of Sonny Corinthos has remained front and center on screen while viewers became intimately familiar with the character's disruptive childhood as well as his climb to the top of the underworld. Benard also created huge followings with almost every leading lady he has been paired with over the years, such as Sarah Brown and Tamara Braun (ex-Carlys), Megan Ward (Kate), Natalia Livingston (Emily) ... and the grandest of them all: Brenda (Vanessa Marcil). Time will tell. Contributed by LDB

Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Bryton McClure – “The Young And The Restless” (CBS)
Kamar de los Reyes – “One Life to Live” (ABC)
Kristoff St. John – “The Young And The Restless” (CBS)
Mykel Shannon Jenkins – “The Bold and the Beautiful” (CBS)
Tobias Truvillion – “One Life to Live” (ABC)

The NAACP Image Awards® honors projects and individuals that promote diversity in the arts in television, recording, literature and motion pictures. The 39th Annual NAACP Image Awards® will air live on Thursday, February 14, 2008 (8:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT – Tape Delayed) on FOX. Contributed by LMS

Matthew Florida (ex-Decker) of Days of our Lives, is reading for the The Weinstein Company's feature film "Superhero" as "Superman". And the rumor mill is spinning that he is being talked about to star as SUPERMAN in the 2nd and 3rd installments of the on-going trilogy. Also...is he really gone from Days? Well lets just say perhaps the girls didn't bury him deep enough. Stay tuned! Contributed by MEW

Two Carlys for the price of one! First, there was the news that General Hospital's original Carly - Sarah Brown (1996-2001) -- would return to the show in an entirely different role as whack job don Anthony Zaccharra's (Bruce Weitz) daughter, Claudia. Now comes word that her replacement, Tamara Braun, who offered a different spin on Carly from 2001 thru 2005 is joining Days Of Our Lives. According to the actress' official website (http://tamara-braun.net/ ), Braun will take on the character of Ava, a woman from Steve's (Stephen Nichols) past. Her first airdate will be February 8. And, of course, should anyone forget, Brown heads home to Port Charles on January 31. It is indeed a good time to be a soap fan! Contributed by LDB

January 24, 2008

Word has it that the Bold and the Beautiful's Rick (Kyle Lowder) will be upping his air time in the not too distant future. Is a new love story in the offing? Stay tuned. Contributed by LMS

January 19, 2008

There is "No Drama" present in the life of the queen of hip-hop soul reigning royal Mary J. Blige and whatever drama infects One Life To Live's Llanview residents, you can be sure that on the day the Grammy-Award winner makes her second appearance on the sudser almost every characters pain will be temporarily forgotten. According to E online, the singer taped an appearance for OLTL on Thursday, January 18 and will be featured in episodes airing February 15 and 18 - an excellent coup for February sweeps. Blige is schedule to perform songs from her new album, Growing Pains. "It's absolutely amazing to be integrated into a soap opera I've watched since I was a little girl," Blige said in a statement to E online. "I am beyond thrilled to be welcomed back again." Blige last appeared on the soap in July 2006 to a wonderful response from critics and viewers. Contributed by LDB

January 18, 2008

CBS TV fans! Here's a heads up about the most recent issues of Watch! Magazine. It's CBS's new entertainment magazine that covers all the network's favorite TV stars, offering juicy behind-the-scenes info on the set, show production details, and off-the-set insight into the brightest stars. The December issue featured two Guiding Light stars rockin' it in a Pop Couture fashion shoot. The best places to pick up a copy of the print magazine are Barnes and Noble or Borders, or check out the website at www.cbswatchmagazine.comContributed by LMS

January 17, 2008

General Hospital fans, headsd up. It's unconfirmed but a few of my sources have told me that Sonny and Claudia (yes, Sarah Brown) will share some romance -- for one night anyway! It has something to do with Kate refusing Sonny's marriage proposal, leading him to go all berserk and angry, finally leaving him to hook up the said Claudia. A reunion of sorts for Carly and Sonny fans. According to her official website (www.sarahbrown.net), Sarah Brown's first airdate on GH as Claudia will be January 31. In case anyone has forgotten, Claudia is Johnny Zaccharra's (Brandon Barash) sister; Brown is committed to GH for one year. So it'll then be Kate chasing Sonny. I guess the show wanted to give them some angst to work through which will also turn out to be its February sweeps story. Contributed by LDB

Did you know that General Hospital's Tyler Christopher (Nikolas) and Kimberly McCullough (Robin) have paired off away from the camera? Relax, everyone, it's purely professional. The two costars take on the leads in Stage 4, a short film which bases itself around the fact that a reality show crew follows the ups and downs of stardom at a Hollywood theater company with more than its fair share of characters. Christopher takes on the role of Zach while McCullough portrays the dainty Eliza. Others in the cast include Vincent Pastore (The Sopranos) and Brian Green (Beverly Hills, 90210). For more information go to: http://www.stage4thepilot.comContributed by LDB

In more As the World Turns Buzz, Colleen Zenk Pinter ("Barbara") will appear in a public service announcement for the Oral Cancer Foundation. The PSA will air during As The World Turns on Wednesday, January 16. For more information, please visit www.oralcancerfoundation.org . Contributed by JB

January 11, 2008

AMC Fans heads up! Rebecca Budig couldn't be more tickled pink about her return to Pine Valley. She and good friend, Alicia Minshew (Kendall) have been having a blast on set. She is delighted to be working with the Fusion newcomers (Babe and Annie). We've also learned that Greenlee's illness (thanks to drinking from a plant in the bomb shelter) is the cause of Angie's return. Turns out that Angie is an infectious disease doctor. Budig also hints that because of Ryan's recent brush with death, his head injury will lead to a bout of amnesia. Will he think he's still in love with Greenlee and not Annie? Budig is also enjoying working with Aiden Turner (Aidan). She shared that the Brit is "very funny." Contributed by LMS

As previously reported at Soapdom.com, Rebecca Budig (Greenlee) returns to All My Children on Wednesday, January 16, with Debbi Morgan's (Angie) first appearance following on Friday, January 18. Darnell Williams (Jesse) first appears on Friday, January 25, and SOAPnet is catching you up to speed. Relive some of their biggest moments when SOAPnet celebrates these stars with two stunts airing as part of "Welcome Back Weekend" on January 12 & 13.

Out and About! Soapdom spotted Jacob Young (JR, All My Children) eating diner with his lady love at Serafina on 55th and Broadway in New York City. When I discretely called out to him, he came over and chatted with our table. He is soooo dreamy in person! Contributed by JF

January 4, 2008

Welcome to the new year!

Days of our Lives fans -- guess what? John's (Drake Hogestyn) not dead! We knew it. He will return to Salem very much alive the week of January 7th. How will they explain away his death? Stay tuned to Days of our Lives to find out. Contributed by LMS

Soapdom has learned that Guiding Light'sTom Pelphrey (Jonathan) was out in Los Angeles looking to buy a home! Word is he's hoping to audition for pilot season, but with the writer's strike, there may not be one this year. Let's hope the writers resolve their differences soon! Contributed by DR & LMS

Speaking of Tom Pelphrey, Soapdom has also learned that he almost didn't get the part of Jonathan on Guiding Light. We heard that Kim Zimmer (Reva), who plays his mom on the soap, didn't want him! Everyone else did, but she was not in his corner in the beginning. Luckily for Pelphrey and all of us, she finally caved and she couldn't be happier. The two became the best of friends. Contributed by DR & LMS

All My Children'sJustin Bruening (ex Jamie) is the star of the new Knight Rider movie of the week. While filming a fight scene before Christmas, Bruening aggravated an old high school knee injury which put him out of commission for a few weeks. He was able to return to the set to shoot a scene in the talking car, KITT, and after another three weeks of physical therapy he was back on the set to complete filming. He noted that while he was home, vegging on the couch, recouperating, his wife, All My Children'sAlexa Havins (ex Babe) waited on him hand and foot. "Something I highly recommend," he enthused. Contributed by LMS

Passions fans, heads up. As of Monday, January 7th, Passions will air new episodes on DirecTV on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays only. There will be no more new Thursday episodes. From what we hear, the marathons on the weekend will continue. Contributed by LMS

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Soapdom has learned that Guiding Light's Tom Pelphrey (Jonathan) was out in Los Angeles looking to buy a home! Word is he's hoping to audition for pilot season, but with the writer's strike, there may not be one this year. Let's hope the writers resolve their differences soon! Contributed by DR & LMS